There's a classic con that goes like this: Someone calls your house and tells your helpers that you have been in an accident. The caller orders the helpers to meet him/her at destination X, with the cash and jewelry from the house. If the helpers believe the caller, they gather up the articles and rush to the destination. Upon arrival, the caller takes the articles and tells them to wait. The caller leaves and never comes back.
There's at least one member of my family, my first-cousin, who has fallen victim to this scam. Just a few days ago, someone tried to pull the same stunt on my own household. Fortunately, our helpers knew about my cousin's experience. They hung up on the caller and tracked us down to let us know what happened.
No one was hurt. Nothing was stolen. Still, we feel disturbed that someone had tested us for vulnerabilities.
To our friends and family, be safe in 2012.
